In the last few weeks I got many questions from my friends, like: “What is the best camera?”; “What camera you would suggest to buy?”; “Do you know any good camera to buy?” I can’t really answer these questions, because I didn’t check the market with cameras for long time, as I am happy owner of my Nikon D300. So I decide to do research and find the Best Travel Camera, which is actually available. Read more to see what I found.

Selection Criteria

First things first. Lets talk about the criteria for selection of the Best Travel Camera. As from the title is clear, we are going to find the best camera for travel. While traveling, you move a lot from one place to another, it can rain, you can go to the beach or hiking in the mountains. So there are many conditions, which can occur when traveling. Portability and resistance will be our first 2 criteria.

On the other hand, traveling offers amazing moments, which will never happens again and we want to capture and share these moments with our family and friends in high quality pictures, so the next important criteria for Best Travel Camera are image quality and promptness.

Last important thing while travel, the camera must be ready all the time to shoot and there is not much time for complicated settings. Our last criteria are battery life and handling. We didn’t take price in the account, we just wanted to find the best possible option regardless the cost.

Best Travel Camera 2012

After long research, reading hundreds of forums and review sites, talking with travel photographers, visiting photo stores, we found finally what we was looking for. As there are so many good cameras on the market we decide to choose best travel compact, ultra-zoom and DSLR camera.

Best Travel Compact Camera

Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS

The Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS is a high-end rugged, waterproof compact camera. The best thing on this camera is its 25-100mm equivalent F2.0-4.9 zoom lens. The TG-1 is tougher than previous Tough models, being waterproof to 12m (40ft) and shockproof from a height of 2m (6.6ft) and will have optional waterproof fisheye and telephoto converter lenses available, which make it versatile and ideal for travel. It is also equipped with build in GPS and eCompass. Read more about Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS.

Recommended for: Standard travel/holiday photography. Travelers who need highly resistant compact camera to capture pictures/video in any condition and even under the water.

Best Travel Ultra – Zoom Camera

Nikon Coolpix P510

The Nikon Coolpix P510 is a camera in the superzoom class, that sports a 42x optical zoom, covering a currently unmatched focal range of 24-1000mm (equivalent). As well as an extended zoom range, the new model also features a new 16MP CMOS sensor, and a handful of new features and enhancements, including GPS with logging and (according to Nikon) improved image stabilization. Read more about Nikon Coolpix P510.

Recommended for: General travel photography, where versatility is more important than image quality.

Not recommended for: Shooting in low light and for travelers who insist on image quality.

Best Travel DSLR Camera

Nikon D800

The first thing what you will notice on Nikon D800 is the massive pixel count of its 36.3MP CMOS sensor. This camera comes with changeable lenses, what give you unlimited versatility and creativity options. D800 has a lot of advanced feature set, particularly in terms of its video capabilities that make it a viable and tempting option for professionals. Read more about Nikon D800.

Recommended for: Professional travel photography without any compromises. Travelers who need high resolution pictures to make large prints.

Not recommended for: Travelers who don’t want to carry heavy camera or has limited space in the bag.

Smart Cheap Travel Ranking

Portability

Resistance

Image Quality

Promptness

Battery Life

Handling

As everyone of us has different requirements, before you buy any camera, you have to make clear for your-self what would you do with the pictures and under what conditions you will use the camera. Afterwards you can choose the Best Travel Camera for you. In our article we choose the best camera for each category based on our criteria.